Managing plant production involves performing activities (e.g., pruning and harvesting) that promote an optimal growth pattern and a maximum yield of plants. Pruning plants (e.g., fruit plants, vegetable plants, and floral plants) includes visually examining the plants, determining which parts (e.g., branches, stems, vines, buds, or roots) of the plants need to be removed in order to improve one or both of a growth and a health of the plants, and subsequently removing the selected parts from the plants. Criteria for determining whether a plant component needs to be removed may be based on one or more criteria including a growth level and a health state of one or more components of the plant or a field in which the plant is growing. The growth level and the health state may be evaluated for optimizing a yield and a quality of, for example, fruits produced by the plant and for removing diseased, damaged, or dead plant components that may negatively impact the health of the plant. Plant components that are selected for removal may be removed using a pruning apparatus (e.g., an automated or semi-automated pruning machine or a hand-held apparatus) or removed directly by hand. During or following a pruning operation, a grower can visually survey the field to determine optimal measures for managing plant production.